Top 5 Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana
Ryan Allway
December 3rd, 2015
Policy, Top Story
Medical marijuana has been legalized in 23 U.S. states and Washington DC, while non-psychoactive derivatives of the drug have been approved in even more states. While politicians have long debated the merits of medical marijuana, researchers have become increasingly convinced that the drug may provide many different health benefits. These studies have led an increasing number of doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for patients in legal states.
There are more than 85 different cannabinoids present in the marijuana plant, but the most well-studied are cannabidiol (CBD) – which impacts the brain without a “high” – and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – which may help relieve pain and other symptoms. In addition, pharmaceutical companies like GW Pharmaceuticals plc have developed synthetic cannabinoids that incorporate a number of different chemical classes.
- It helps control seizures.
GW Pharmaceuticals gave epileptic patients a CBD-based cannabinoid derivative called Epidiolex and found that seizures decreased by an average of 54% in 137 of the 213 individuals, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. In cases of Dravet Syndrome, patients reported a 63% decrease in seizures over three months with the improvement lasting through 24 weeks. Only 14 patients withdrew from the study because the drug wasn’t effective for them.
The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology on April 22, 2015.
- It alleviates pain and nausea.
Medical marijuana appears to be effective in treating pain and nausea stemming from diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV. In fact, a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial demonstrated that smoking medical marijuana reduces neuropathy in patients with HIV by 30% compared to placebo, while a separate study showed improvements in pain, sleep quality, and anxiety in patients with refractory pain where conventional therapies failed.
These studies were published in the Journal of Neurology and CMAJ.
- It may help veterans with PTSD.
Controlled clinical data assessing cannabis’ impact on PTSD isn’t available yet, but observational data has showed strong promise for the drug. A 2014 review of patients found a greater than 75% reduction in Clinical Administered Posttraumatic Stress (CAPS) Scale symptoms scores following a cannabis-based therapy. A separate study found that oral THC led to improvements in symptom severity, sleep equality, nightmare frequency, and other symptoms in 10 subjects.
These studies were published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs and Clinical Drug Investigation.
- It may kill cancer cells.
St. George’s University of London researchers found reductions in high-grade glioma tumors – a highly aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer – in mice that were exposed to radiation in conjunction with THCs and CBDs. According to the published study, the cannabinoids may have made the tumors more receptive to radiation treatment. These findings have been mirrored in a number of other studies across various types of cancer.
The study was published in the American Association for Cancer Research.
- It may treat heart disease.
The cannabinoid system plays a key role in regulating blood pressure and influencing various cardiovascular systems. In animal studies, the administration of cannabinoids was associated with vasodialation, hypotension, and inhibition of atherosclerosis progression, which suggests that the drug could be helpful in treating heart disease. However, the research remains in its early stages and there’s much work to be done to prove anything.
These studies were published in Nature and the Current Opinion in Lipidology among other journals.
Medical Marijuana’s Other Health Benefits
Medical marijuana’s health benefits may extend well beyond these five indications and into areas as diverse as Alzheimer’s diseases, sleep apnea, and osteoporosis. As federal and state governments continue to realize the potential benefits of cannabinoids like THC and CBD, patients may benefit from a greater amount of high quality research that could lead to new treatments for some of the most serious unmet medical needs in society.
This article was published by CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the industry’s leading agency and digital financial media network dedicated to the burgeoning CBD and legal cannabis industries. Call +1 (833) 420-CNFN for more information.
About Ryan Allway
Mr. Allway has over a decade of experience in the financial markets as both a private investor and financial journalist. He has been actively involved in the cannabis industry since its inception, covering public and private companies.
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